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Food bank appeal launched after figures reveal 18,000 children in Yorkshire currently live in poverty

Central England Co-op is launching a Summer Food Bank Appeal to try and combat holiday hunger in Yorkshire after new figures revealed that nearly 18,000 children are currently living in child poverty across the area.

The retailer will be hosting special collection points in all of its local stores from 8 July to 15 September and encouraging customers and members to donate items from a special list devised with the help of local food bank partners.

The food will then be used to create either bigger food parcels for families with children or to provide special packed lunches for projects that tackle holiday hunger during the summertime.

Data collated by the End Child Poverty coalition and researchers from Loughborough University in May 2019 revealed that in Yorkshire a total of 17,853 children were currently living in child poverty. This equates to 32% of all children in the area*.

In Yorkshire, the food banks that will benefit from donations will include The Welcome Centre, based in Huddersfield.

Food banks often see a rise in demand from families who see the safety net of free school meals removed during the summer holidays.

This often leaves people trying to stretch their budgets in order to eat and in some cases going without proper food during the holidays.

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-operative Chief Executive, said: “We at Central England Co-op have worked closely with our food bank partners to come up with a special campaign during the summer months to try and help combat the issue of holiday hunger.

“Our Summer Food Bank Appeal will run from July to September and today we are appealing to our customers and members to support us and help make a real and positive impact in their local area.

“We are asking for people to drop off as many items as they can into our food bank collection points in our stores and play a part in making a real difference to children and families.”

Items that can be donated include shopping basket staples from tea, sugar and cereals to other essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products.

Last year, the retailer’s Summer Food Bank Appeal resulted in 141,000 items being donated, creating enough food to help feed over 35,000 children and families.

Emma Greenough, from the Welcome Centre Food Bank, said: “Holiday hunger is an issue that more and more people face each year in Yorkshire.

“During the school holidays the provision of free school meals for many children stops and families experience additional financial burden on already stretched budgets. This can result in children and parents going hungry.

“We are delighted to be working with Central England Co-op and supporting the Summer Food Bank Appeal to combat holiday hunger.

“We would ask people, if they can, to donate some items during the campaign. This will make a huge difference to help food banks ensure that children and their families don’t go hungry this summer.”

Central England Co-operative has permanent food bank collection points in hundreds of its stores all year, which have resulted in thousands of people every month from Birmingham to Norfolk being given enough food to cook meals.

The Society works with over 50 different food banks to provide emergency food and support to individuals and families in crisis throughout the year.

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Central England Co-operative colleague XXXX is urging customers and members to get behind the Summer Food Bank Appeal.

Sidebar:

Key items needed by food banks during the festive season:

Cereal

Tinned food

Sugar

Rice

Dried pasta

Pasta

Sauce

Biscuits

UHT milk

Fruit

Juices

Tea

Instant coffee

Toiletries

*Households are living in poverty if their household income (adjusted to account for household size,) is less than 60% of the median. All poverty rates are calculated on an after housing costs basis. For more information, visit https://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/poverty-in-your-area-2019/ These figures are taken from studies of local authority areas.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.

It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, and property investment.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to member activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.